


please just let me sleep

by TheRaceBegins



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Fainting, Hospitals, Insomnia, M/M, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21653761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRaceBegins/pseuds/TheRaceBegins
Summary: Once again, a certain driver is still awake.Based on my own experiences with insomnia & sleep deprivation.
Relationships: Alexander Albon/George Russell
Comments: 41
Kudos: 86





	1. the sound of silence

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everybody! This is my first fic, so I hope it's not too bad. Feedback would be very much appreciated!

Alexander Albon slowly approached the window, gently placing one soft hand against the cool glass. He gazed dreamily at the darkened world outside, seeing the stars twinkling above in the inky night sky.

Resting his elbows on the windowsill, Alex let out a gentle sigh and glanced at his watch. Noticing the time, his eyes widened slightly and he froze, feeling horrified with himself.

'How can it be four already?!' thought Alex, backing away from the window and sitting down on his bed.

A wave of emotions took over him:  
Anger. How could he have been so stupid to stay up so late?  
Regret. He had training to do tomorrow and he was going to be exhausted for it!  
Sadness. Why couldn't he just sleep at a healthy time like everybody else?  
Fear. Would it always be like this?

'Stop it, Alex.' muttered the Thai to himself, realising his thoughts were taking over again.

He knew that if he wanted to sleep, the thoughts needed to be silenced. He couldn't let his mind run away with him again, not when he needed to sleep.

Sliding off his shirt, and changing into a comfier one, he hesitantly climbed into his bed. He tried to get comfortable in the bed, wriggling his body a little until he was satisifed.

'Aaaaand sleep!' thought Alex to himself.

'You're never going to be as good as Max,' replied his mind.

'Sleep! Now! Please!' thought Alex to himself.

'You don't deserve your Red Bull seat,' taunted his mind.

'Come on, now isn't the time for this!' thought Alex to himself.

'You only got into Formula 1 because nobody else could fill the gap,' laughed his mind.

"Shut up, stupid brain!" begged Alex out loud, clutching his bedsheets in desperation.

Alex's thoughts went quiet and he stared up at his darkened ceiling, listening to the deafening sound of silence once again.

It felt like it would never end.


	2. you're georgeous

A harsh, loud knock echoed through Alex Albon's family home in Milton Keynes. Alex groaned and glanced at his clock, reminding him it was 7 o'clock in the morning. He reckoned he managed to get about two and a half hours sleep, in the end. However much he slept, it clearly wasn't enough.

Stumbling downstairs to his front door, he opened it to see a familiar face standing outside in the cold December air.

"Lando!" said Alex with a smile.

"Morning Alex!" said Lando Norris, stepping into the house and taking his slightly muddy trainers off, before the two boys headed upstairs to Alex's room. "Isn't George here yet?"

Alex shrugged, hoping George hadn't forgotten that the three friends had agreed to do some training together. Did George even want to come? What if George was ill? What if George couldn't-

Alex's thoughts were distracted by a giddy Lando grabbing one of the PS4 controllers and loading up Fortnite.

"Fortnite?" laughed Alex incredulously.

"Hey, don't disrespect Fortnite!" said Lando, a wide grin on his face as he selected his skin.

Alex had no idea how Lando was so full of energy at 7am.

Lando was in the middle of sniping some opponents when Alex heard a loud knock on the front door. Without hesitation, he hurried to the front door, and there was George Russell, dressed in light grey joggers and a t-shirt. For a second, Alex was lost for words. George looked.. gorgeous. Or how about Georgeous? He stared at George for a second too long, breathless.

"Sorry I'm late!" apologised George, while Alex frantically tried to avert his eyes and act normal and not give away that he had a massive crush on his best friend.

'Come on, Alex, snap out of it!' he thought to himself.

"What took you so long, George?" called Lando from Alex's room. "Did you drive your Williams here or something?"

"Very funny!" called back George, smiling.

Alex stepped to the side to let George through, and then neatly shut the door, following him upstairs, where they find Lando Norris sat on a large beanbag, mashing the buttons on his controller as he tries to win.

George cautiously sat down on on Alex's bed, taking off his pristine trainers and neatly placing them against the wall. Alex carefully sat down close to George, leaving a small gap between the two drivers as they watched Lando finish his game.

"Nice shot!" said Alex appreciatively as Lando managed to win a close-range fight.

"Lando, grab that legendary SMG, you'll need that," advised George.

"Wait, you play this too?" laughed Alex, giving George a look of mock horror.

"Yeah, sometimes," chuckled George, giving Alex a playful nudge.

"You'll have to teach me one day!" joked Alex.

"Hey, why can't I teach you?" whined Lando teasingly.

"Lando, careful, I heard gunshots to your left, don't get shot!" interrupted George. "Oh, and you're low on materials, there's some over there on that hill!"

"Is that an enemy there? By the river?" asked Alex, trying to help.

"Oh yeah, and there's one guy right by you Lando, over there." added George. "Quick, switch to a shotgun before he--"

"Just stop fucking talking while I'm trying to play!" screeched Lando, panicking as several players closed in on him.

Alex and George gave each other the same look of amusement as Lando once again took his game far too seriously. They then sat in silence for a few moments, not wanting to disturb their friend. Once Lando's game had finished (he did not win), the three men piled into Alex's Honda, Lando calling shotgun, and arrived at the gym. They split up - Alex took a running machine, George took a rowing machine, and Lando used the weights.

After an hour of working out, Alex was feeling exhausted. He wandered over to his locker and pulled a Red Bull out from his backpack. He needed energy. He sat down on a bench, staring at the floor in front of him, trying to gather his thoughts. Why was everything going so blurry? He reminded himself that this is what happens when you don't sleep enough. He pulled out his phone, a photo of him, George and Lando smiling back at him on his lock screen, and did a search into Google.

_how much sleep does an adult need_

7-9 hours? Damn. Alex couldn't remember the last time he got anywhere close to 7 hours.

_what happens if you only sleep for 3 hours_

Alex's chest tightened as he read the list of problems that can be caused by getting so little sleep each night.

Accidents, irritability, depression, memory loss, risk of heart disease or diabetes, dark circles under the eyes, a decreased sex drive, early death..

None of that sounded good at all. Alex got up and went to the bathroom, splashing some cold water on his face in a futile attempt to keep himself awake. He looked in the mirror and saw the dark circles under his eyes, something he'd been trying to ignore for all those months of him sleeping so little.

Alex groaned in frustration and put his head in his hands. He looked back up to the mirror at the dark brown eyes staring back at him, asking himself why he was letting this happen. Then his eyes flickered to the bathroom entrance, and he saw a reflected George walking in.

Almost guiltily turning away from the mirror, Alex looked at George.

"Hey," said George slowly. "Is everything alright, Alex? You're not your usual smiley self today."

"I'm fine," replied Alex hurriedly, perhaps a little too fast.

"Jesus," said George, now stood right beside Alex. "You look exhausted, mate."

Alex hesitated for a second, a part of him wanting more than anything to confess everything to George: the sleep deprivation, all those lonely nights, the intrusive thoughts, even the crush he had on him. But he couldn't bring himself to say a word, and he just shook his head.

"Just a bad night's sleep, I guess," muttered Alex.

"You look ill," remarked George, looking concerned.

That look of worry on George's face was causing a surge of heat to race through Alex's entire body, all he wanted was to take George's soft hands in his own, and reassure the Brit that he would be absolutely fine and that there was no need to be concerned.

"Sorry," said Alex, not sure why he was even apologising.

"Let me know if you need anything, 'kay?" said George softly. "I'm right here for you."

Alex nodded gratefully, and left the bathroom in a distracted and tired daze.

...

Alone in the bathroom, George Russell looked at his own reflection in the mirror, wondering if there was anything he could do for his friend.


	3. perceptive

After coming home from the gym, Alexander Albon was feeling exhausted and weak. Everything seemed a little foggy as he took his shoes and socks off then stumbled through his hallway. Wandering into his living room, Alex found his way to his sofa and stared at it blankly, the lack of sleep clearly kicking in.

'You're so stupid, Alex,' came the cruel voice of his own mind. 'You should've slept more last night.'

Alex's throat felt dry and he made his way towards the kitchen sink to fill up a glass of water. The sound of the fresh water gushing out of the tap felt unusually loud, causing his ears to ring. The glass of water felt heavy in his hand and he stumbled back towards the sofa, wanting to sit and watch some TV.

'Alex Albon, disappointment of Formula 1,' taunted his mind harshly. 'The boy who couldn't even sleep when he was supposed to.'

Halfway to the sofa, the glass managed to slip out of Alex's hand. Alex looked down at the falling glass, everything seemingly in slow motion. But how? He'd been holding the glass firmly!

'Not firmly enough!' laughed his mind.

The glass hit the stone kitchen floor with a piercing smash, shards of glass flying in all directions. Alex stared down at it blankly, wondering how one glass could make so much mess. Then, after a short pause, as if nothing had ever happened, Alex walked through the mess, not noticing one of the shards cutting his foot. His hands started to tremble and he shakily lowered himself onto his sofa, wondering where the TV remote was so he could watch a show. The light in his living room seemed too bright, and he stared at it for a moment, feeling his eyes stinging. His vision started to go blurry, and it seemed like the light was moving. Or was he moving? Alex wasn't sure. The room suddenly went sideways and then everything went black as Alex's head hit the sofa.

...

George Russell was a smart and intelligent kid, the teachers always said when he was at school. He was perceptive, witty and reliable, apparently. George didn't really believe all that stuff. In his eyes, he was just George.

But someone who was incredible in his eyes was Alexander Albon. From the moment George and Alex met trackside, they became an unstoppable duo. Kart racing went from a 'cool hobby' to 'the best part of his week'. No matter what, spending time with Alex was always fun. That time when George's kart broke on the last lap, Alex was right there for him after the race, giving him beautiful words of encouragement, the kindness spilling out of him in an almost poetic manner.

George didn't have many friends at school.

"Nerd", "Sweat", "Weirdo", were what the other kids called him.

When George felt lonely, he imagined Alex was there with him. All those times Harry knocked his lunchbox off the table, all those times David gave him a wedgie, all those times the popular girls sneered and laughed, he imagined Alex by his side, smiling at him with that beautiful smile, telling him everything would be okay.

God, George wished he'd been with Alex at his school in Suffolk. Alex said that the kids at his school loved him - he would bring trophies bigger than he was into his school assemblies, and the whole school would marvel at them, in awe of Alex's abilities. George had laughed and told Alex that one time he brought in a second place medal into his school and some kid called David stole it from him.

The thought of Alex had helped George through the hardest time of his life - and now, as George sat in his dining room scrolling through his phone, he started to think of Alex again. Alex never used to look so tired, so drained, so weak and empty. Alex never used to hurriedly insist that he was fine. It was a little scary for George to see Alex without that bright smile lighting up the room. Something was wrong with his best friend, and George was going to find out what, and help.

Maybe George's teachers were right when they said he was perceptive.


	4. take my hand

George Russell started with just a quick, gentle knock. When he heard no movement, he tried again, a little louder. Alex would never leave all his lights on if he wasn't in. Something was wrong. His next knocks came louder and louder until it felt like the whole street could hear. George heard some movement in the living room, and after a few long seconds, Alex Albon opened the door. And George's breath caught when he saw the state of his friend.

Alex looked like a literal zombie. His skin was pale and his lips were dry and cracked. Deep bags of tiredness circled his half-closed brown eyes and his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He was staring at George wordlessly, the pain visible in his eyes.

"What happened?" asked George quietly, shutting the door behind him

Alex's eyes rolled back as his legs buckled beneath him and he crumpled to the ground, unresponsive.

George quickly squatted down and started gently shaking Alex, desperately trying to remember the instructions on fainting from that first aid course he did back in the karting days. 

"Alex?" called George, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

"Alex, can you hear me?" he tried again, shaking Alex's shoulder.

No response. George felt waves of panic hitting him, but pushed them aside to try and help his friend. Not sure what else he could do, George pulled his phone out of his back pocket, dialing 999.

"Hello, you've reached the emergency services," came a cheerful, calming voice from the other end of the phone. "Would you like Police, Fire or Ambulance?"

"Ambulance," replied George without hesitation. He was swiftly put through to the ambulance.

"Hi, what's the emergency?" replied the new operator.

"My friend collapsed in the hallway, he's been out for at least two minutes now and isn't responding." replied George, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Alright, we're sending someone your way," they replied. "Does your friend have a history of fainting?"

"I don't think so," replied George. "I'm a bit scared to be honest. He looks really ill. I've been calling his name loudly but he isn't responding."

"What's your name?" asked the operator.

"I'm George," he replied. "My friend is called Alex."

"Hi George," said the operator. "My name is Anna. You're doing really well, alright? Can you try calling Alex's name again?"

"Alex?" called George, pressing his hand to Alex's cold forehead. "Alex, can you hear me?"

After a horrible few moments, George heard a gentle groan from his friend.

"He just groaned," stated George to Anna. "I think he's waking up!"

"That's great," replied Anna calmly. "I'll be right here if you need advice. Try and get him a glass of water. Make sure he keeps calm. Keep his breathing regular."

"George," breathed Alex weakly, his eyes half opening. "Am I going to die?"

"You're not going to die, silly," said George, instantly relaxing when he heard Alex's voice. "Try not to move too much, okay? Take some nice deep breaths and try to relax."

Now that Alex was somewhat conscious, he knew everything would be okay. He hoped so anyway. He knew he just needed to keep Alex calm and safe until the ambulance came.

"What happened?" murmured Alex, his voice barely a whisper. "Where am I?"

"You fainted," said George gently. "I called an ambulance for you."

"Oh," said Alex blankly. He went silent again, causing George to worry.

"Has this ever happened to you before, Alex?" asked George, trying to get some information out of his friend.

"Earlier today, when we got home." said Alex, a little bit of fear present in his voice.

"I'm going to quickly get you a glass of water - stay here, okay?" replied George.

Without waiting for a response George calmly but quickly hurried to the kitchen, stopping when he saw the smashed glass and some spots of blood. He shook his head, then filled up a new glass for Alex and brought it to him in the hallway.

Alex took the glass of water gratefully, still shaking, and drank a few sips. He immediately threw up, his body shaking violently.

"He just threw up the water," said George as calmly as he could to Anna.

"I don't need an ambulance," mumbled Alex indignantly, trying to sit up.

"Well, you're having one!" retorted George, wishing Alex could see the state he was in. "Don't try and sit up just yet, please. Focus on your breathing."

Alex went quiet as he lay back down, staring up at the ceiling. George breathed a shaky sigh of relief, carefully observing his friend. Alex's breaths were shallow and weak and George could see he was concentrating hard to make sure they stayed consistent. Before George could stop himself, he reached one of his hands out and gently placed it in Alex's soft palm. Alex's cold hand tightened around George's, gently holding on.

"You're doing really well, Alex." whispered George softly.

A small smile flickered across Alex's face and he glanced across at George.

"George?" asked Alex quietly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?" replied George.

"Did I ever tell you how handsome you are?"


	5. lando raids the fridge

For George Russell, it was almost a shame when the ambulance arrived.

Almost.

Much as he was enjoying holding Alex Albon's hand, the time came for George to let go, and let a sleeping Alex be taken away to the hospital. Call it fear, awkwardness, embarrassment, whatever, but George didn't go with his friend.

Instead he stayed at the Thai's home, slumped against the wall in exhaustion, staring down at the fluffy grey carpet in the hallway. His phone buzzed and he picked it up to see a text from Lando Norris.

_i beat ur high score on the simulator LOL_

Unsure whether to tell Lando what had just happened, George hesitated for a moment and then typed out a quick text to Lando, asking if he could go visit the McLaren driver's house. He then got up and went to clean up Alex's kitchen, cautiously picking up all the little shards of glass that were smashed all over the floor. Then he washed up all the dishes, folded the towels, and turned off the TV. He then sat down on Alex's sofa, feeling satisfied that Alex's house was in excellent condition. Lando had responded to George's text by the time the he'd finished cleaning, saying that he's allowed guests tonight and would George like a sleepover.

'A sleepover?' thought George, amused. 'What are we, eight?'

George left Alex's house, carefully locking the front door behind him with a spare key he'd found in the living room. He got into his Mercedes and drove to Lando's house, playing loud music to distract him from worries of Alex's health.

Lando appeared at the door immediately to welcome George in, the jovial expression on his face fading as he saw George's worried expression. The two boys headed up to Lando's room, where they sat down.

"Something's wrong," said Lando, concerned. "What is it?"

"Lando, something happened to Alex," started George, hesitating slightly. "I'm worried."

"Is he okay?" asked Lando, worrying for his friend.

George told Lando everything that had happened that day. Alex's vacant eyes in the bathroom. The zombie-like colour of Alex's skin. The way Alex's hands shook uncontrollably as he crashed to the floor.

"Jesus," said Lando quietly, after a solemn pause. "And then what?"

"The paramedics came and took him away in the ambulance," finished George, carefully omitting the hand-holding part. "I.. didn't go with him."

"You didn't?" questioned Lando. "Why?"

"I don't know why I didn't go," said George, almost scolding himself for not going. "I should've BEEN there for him, Lando. I'm such a coward."

"Mate, you're not a coward," said Lando quietly. "He's being looked after now, by the right people. And I'm sure he'll be back home in no time. Has he texted you yet?"

George shook his head sadly.

"Let's go see him then," decided Lando.

"What if he doesn't want to see us?" worried George.

"George," said Lando. "Of course Alex will want to see us. You especially, since you helped him."

"Okay," said George. "I'll drive."

So after a quick stop at the kitchen fridge (Lando wanted some more milk before they set off), the two friends were away, driving through the darkness towards the hospital in silence.

"Lando?" said George quietly, turning off the motorway onto a smaller road. "What if Alex has an illness?"

"An illness?" asked Lando. "Like, a terminal one?"

"Something like that," replied George, worried. "What if he isn't going to be okay?"

"I'm not great at medical stuff," started Lando, thoughtfully. "But I know that Alex is a fighter. All the shit he's been through, and here he is with us in Formula 1. And you know what, George? We're fighters too."

"Lando, I think that's the wisest thing you've ever said in your life," said George, smiling a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has left me a nice comment so far. I've been really worried about how this fic will be received because it's my first ever one, and it's been so lovely hearing such great praise from people I look up to <3


	6. i'm right here for you

When Alex Albon woke up from his sleep in the middle of the night, everything felt painful. His eyes were extremely sore, his head was pounding and his throat felt dry and tight. Slowly opening his eyes, he could see he was in a dark room, a hospital bed.

Panic rushed through him as he desperately tried to remember why he was here. Had he been in an accident? He quickly wiggled his toes and fingers to check everything was still there. Then the memories started to slowly come back, glimpses of his real-life nightmare coming back to him. Blood, vomit, pain.

And then George Russell. His gentle voice calling Alex's name in the darkness. His soft hand carefully and comfortingly holding Alex's own. For a moment, it seemed like all the pain melted away as he remembered how George's soft palm felt. When the pain came back, Alex let out a quiet groan.

"He's awake," came an unfamiliar voice, and he saw the outline of a person leaving the room.

"Alex, can you hear me?" calmly asked a second voice, a woman this time, just as unfamiliar as the first.

Panic rushed through him as he desperately tried to remember why he was here. Had he been in an accident? He quickly wiggled his toes and fingers to check everything was still there. Then the memories started to slowly come back, glimpses of his real-life nightmare coming back to him. Blood, vomit, pain.

"Yeah, I can hear you." replied Alex quietly.

"You're in the hospital, I'm a nurse here," explained the woman. "It seems like you're extremely dehydrated and exhausted. Your body was shutting down, it couldn't function. You were pushing yourself too hard."

"Oh," was all Alex managed to respond, feeling very alone and afraid. And guilty, though he wasn't sure why.

"We've put in an IV drip just to help your body get the fluids it needs while you recover," she added. "On your right arm."

Alex lifted the bedsheet off his right arm to look at the IV which had been put in. It looked scary. Had he really been in such a bad state? He looked back up at the woman.

"For now, you need to rest," continued the nurse. "With any luck, we can release you in just a few days once we're happy everything is in order. Any questions before I let you sleep again?"

Alex shook his head no. The nurse pointed to a little device on the bedside table.

"Press this and it'll alert me that you need something. If you're uncomfortable, hungry, anything, just give me a call." she explained. "And your phone's on the table too, though I wouldn't suggest using it until the morning. It's about midnight right now, so try to get as much rest as you can. The more rest you can get here, the faster you can be allowed back home."

"Okay," agreed Alex meekly.

"Sleep well, Alex," said the nurse.

"Thanks," said Alex politely as the nurse left his room, closing the door behind her.

And then there was silence once again.

Alex lay back in his bed, feeling his head sink into the unfamiliar pillow. Looking across at the shadowy IV line extending from his wrist, he felt his chest tighten in panic as he realised he wouldn't be able to get it off him. He felt trapped and powerless. He jolted forward, sitting up suddenly, as another wave of panic hit him and he could feel his heart beating faster and faster, threatening to tear out of his stomach while his head pounded and his ears were ringing and the walls seemed to be closing in on him menacingly, he felt too hot and then too cold, his ribs suddenly squashing his lungs down, his heart still beating harder and faster and louder as he fought to get control of his body but it was no use and his breaths kept coming faster and faster and it was all going very wrong and maybe he was going to die and what if he did die, maybe him dying right now would be nice to stop the pain, but everyone would be really upset if he died, so he can't die, but what if he did die, and nothing was ever going to be okay again and he just wanted to escape and for all the stupid pain to go away for once and --

'Take some nice deep breaths and try to relax,' whispered a familiar, distant voice.

"George?" Alex called out weakly for his friend, but no response came.

'You're not going to die, silly,' came the helpful voice again, like a faint memory of George's.

Alex realised the voice was in his head, echoing the words George had said earlier on.

'Focus on your breathing,' said 'George' gently.

Alex obeyed 'George', trying to block out all of the unfriendly thoughts and focusing on only one thing: the slow rising and falling of his chest, which didn't feel so tight anymore. He let out some shaky breaths and then lay back down, feeling the soft pillow against his head. Alex suddenly felt exhausted. Maybe sleep would be good right now. He did need to rest, after all. He rolled sideways, snuggling down under the blankets and trying to find a comfortable way to sleep without getting the tube connected to his wrist tangled up.

Although the storm inside his mind raged on, Alex blocked it out, and instead chose to focus on a happier memory, one with him and George hanging out in Japan after qualifying got cancelled. A small smile appeared on Alex's face as he began to fall asleep, reminding himself that tomorrow would be better.


	7. fake boyfriends

"What do you mean, he's not allowed visitors?" complained George. "We need to be with him, he's our friend!"

"Hospital policy," explained the nurse. "Visitors are only allowed between the hours of 10am-5pm. Except in extreme circumstances."

George relaxed a little, knowing this meant Alex wasn't an 'extreme circumstance'. Still, he wished he didn't have to wait until the next morning to visit Alex after him and Lando had driven all that way.

"Can we at least know how he is doing please?" pleaded Lando.

"Are you family to him?" asked the nurse.

"Just a friend," said Lando.

"In that case, I'm not allowed to divulge patient information with you," said the nurse as she shook her head. "It's confidential."

"Wait, I'm his boyfriend," said George suddenly. "Can you tell me?"

"Alex didn't say anything about having a boyfriend.." said the nurse questioningly.

George glanced at Lando as if to say 'go with it', and Lando started nodding in agreement with George.

"Yep, they're boyfriends alright," agreed Lando, giving George a wink. "Top secret though, so don't tell anyone! One time I walked in on them kissing and stuff, so gross!"

Lando jokingly covered his eyes at the 'memory' of Alex and George kissing. George went scarlet, hoping Lando realised him and Alex weren't actually boyfriends. Much as George wished they were.

"And look," added George, pulling out his phone. "I have a whole folder of photos of me and him!"

He showed the nurse some photos of him and Alex together, George smiling happily and Alex flashing peace signs at the camera in every single photo.

"Alright, alright," said the nurse. "I can tell you how he is doing. But you can't visit him until 10am tomorrow."

George nodded, waiting to hear the news about Alex.

"When he arrived, your boyfriend was suffering from dehydration and exhaustion," explained the nurse. "We've put Alex on an IV drip to get more fluids into him, since he was struggling to keep water down. Please be assured that we've seen a lot of improvement in his health in the last few hours. His heartbeat has already slowed to a more normal rate and he's stopped shaking. We've given him sleeping pills to help him get the rest he needs, so he's likely to be quite drowsy tomorrow morning when he wakes up. He should be discharged within a few days, just until we're satisfied he is healthy and stable enough to return home."

George breathed a sigh of relief - thank goodness Alex didn't have anything seriously wrong. George knew Alex was going to recover and be absolutely fine. He thanked the nurse, telling her him and Lando would be back at 10am sharp the next morning.

The two friends went to the hospital food and drinks section where there was a 24 hour Costa open. George and Lando each ordered a coffee and then sat down at a table in the deserted coffee shop. Lando looked at George questioningly.

"So.. boyfriend?" he asked. "What made you dream that one up?"

George hesitated. It was all Lando needed.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Lando. "You love Alex!"

George looked down at the table, unsure of what to say. He then nodded his head yes.

"Why didn't you tell me until now?" asked Lando. "You know I'd have been cool with it. I've always said you two are a great pair!"

"I didn't want Alex knowing.." explained George.

"Mate, I'm pretty sure he likes you back," said Lando, beaming. "You should've seen him run to the door this morning when you arrived for the gym!"

George tried to hide his smile as he imagined the scene, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," said George apologetically.

"I mean, it explains why you've been so worried about Alex," said Lando. "I mean, I'm worried too, but you looked like you were about to explode.."

George didn't reply, suddenly feeling upset about what had happened at Alex's house. He looked up at Lando, and tears suddenly brimmed in his eyes.

"I was scared I was going to lose him," whispered George.

With that sentence, George finally broke, teardrops rolling down his face, across his cheek, and dripping onto the table.

"It was really scary, Lando." he added through the tears.

"Alex is going to be okay," said Lando reassuringly, giving George a moment to calm down. "He's already recovering, remember? Right now we just need to be strong for him, help him through this."

George took a deep breath and nodded, his mind made up. No more tears. He was going to do everything he could to help Alex get better.

"How about we get him a little something for when he wakes up?" suggested George with a smile. "All the shops will be shut at this time, so tomorrow morning we could sort something?"

"I like that idea," said Lando, finishing the last of his coffee. "Ugh, now we have to drive all the way back home!"


	8. real boyfriends

It was early the next morning when Lando's phone started ringing loudly, waking him up. Bleary-eyed, he reached an arm out to pick it up, pressing the 'Answer' button.

"Lando!" came an urgent voice. "Where are you?"

"Uhhh," groaned Lando, tired. "Bed."

"You said you'd be out the door by seven!" said George. "I'm outside waiting!"

"Sorry," apologised Lando. "I'll need like ten minutes. You wanna come in?"

"Sure," said George, hanging up the phone.

Lando scurried downstairs and opened the door, still wearing his baggy t-shirt and boxers. George was wearing some casual joggers and a khaki hoodie.

"Go get ready, quick," urged George. "We want enough time to get some stuff for Alex!"

Lando rushed back upstairs to get ready. George opened up his Spotify, carefully selecting a Lando-appropriate playlist for the car. Ten minutes later, Lando appeared at the doorway, apologetic. George reassured him it wasn't a big problem, and the two boys got back into George's Mercedes and started heading into the city.

...

Alex Albon's eyes opened slowly, then he burrowed back down under the covers, the harsh sunlight a sudden change from the darkness he was used to. He slowly surfaced, letting his sore eyes adjust to the well-lit hospital room, and then he looked to his left at the bedside table, which had a clock on it. 10:09. Alex lay back down, resting his head against the pillow. He tried to work out how long he'd been asleep. He decided he had no idea. He wasn't even sure how many days had passed. He looked across at the IV which was still attached to his wrist and frowned, not liking the way it kept him trapped where he was. He then spotted the little device on the bedside table and pressed it, hoping to find someone who could speak to him. A different nurse to the one before entered the room a moment later.

"Good morning Alex!" chirped the nurse. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Sure," replied Alex, his throat sore. "What breakfast is served here?"

She handed him a very simple 'menu':  
\- Cereal with milk  
\- Scrambled eggs and toast  
\- Porridge

Alex thought Lando would have enjoyed the cereal with milk. And Valtteri would've enjoyed the porridge. He opted for the scrambled eggs on toast, since he was fond of poached eggs. The nurse offered him water, milk or orange juice with his breakfast, so he went for milk. She told him the breakfast would be ready in about half an hour. Alex thanked the nurse and she left the room. Just as Alex was starting to relax a little more, a woman appeared at the door.

"Hi Alex," said the woman. "Your boyfriend is here to see you! Are you happy to have visitors?"

Alex froze. He didn't have a boyfriend! How did the woman even know he was gay? His mind started to race with all the possibilities.

"Sure?" he said hesitantly, curious to see what had caused this situation.

The door swung open and there was George Russell in a khaki hoodie and light grey joggers, holding a bouquet of bright red flowers.

"George?" asked Alex incredulously. "Did she just call us boyfriends?"

George's face was almost as red as the flowers. He stared at the bedridden Thai, seemingly unable to speak.

As if on cue, Lando appeared behind him, marching into the room with a handful of chocolate.

"Morning, Alex!" said Lando chirpily, as if this situation was completely normal. "I got you some chocolates!"

"Thanks," said Alex appreciatively as Lando placed them on the bedside table.

"They're all yours, but you can share them with your boyfriend if you like!" giggled Lando.

George looked as if he wanted to sink into the floor and never return.

"I'll give you two lovebirds some alone time," said Lando, patting George on the back as he left the room.

The two boys stared at each other in silence.

"Boyfriends?" asked Alex, laughing a little, but secretly wishing it was true.

"Yeah, about that.." said George hesitantly, stood like a statue in the middle of the room. "The nurse wouldn't tell us how you were doing. I had to tell her we were boyfriends to get it out of her."

"Well, how did it feel to be my pretend boyfriend for the night?" joked Alex.

"It was pretty decent, but it's a shame I never got to see you while we were pretend dating until now," said George with a frown.

"Do you wanna sit down?" offered Alex suddenly.

George pulled up a chair to Alex's bedside, gently placing the flowers on the table next to him.

"You know, Alex," said George seriously. "You scared the shit out of me last night."

"Sorry," said Alex sadly. "I don't know what caused all that to happen so suddenly."

"Alex, you shouldn't apologise," said George reassuringly. "I was just worried, that's all."

There was silence in the room for a moment as Alex looked at George, and George looked back at Alex.

"Okay, then I'll say thank you," said Alex. "If you hadn't stopped by my house.. you probably wouldn't have found me."

George didn't want to think about what would've happened if he hadn't been there.

"I was freaking out, George." continued Alex. "Honestly, I was so scared last night."

"You're safe now," whispered George quietly. "Everything's going to be okay, Alex."

Silence once again as the two thought carefully about what they wanted to say.

"Did you call me handsome?" blurted out George, hoping Alex remembered. "When I held your hand right before you fell asleep."

Alex paused, trying to remember what happened. The memory flooded back, his limp cold hand holding onto George's warm one for dear life, his brown eyes desperately flickering up to George, his friend's face full of worry and fear. And then, he remembered. He had called George handsome.

"I think I might have," said Alex awkwardly, not sure how his friend would react. "Sorry. But it's true. You look amazing."

"You're handsome too," said George suddenly, the words spilling out of his mouth. "Alex Albon, I've had a crush on you from the moment I met you."

"Oh," said Alex, taken aback.

George felt every muscle in his legs tense up as he waited to hear what Alex would make of it all.

"How about we go from pretend boyfriends to real ones?" suggested Alex softly.

"I would absolutely love that," said George, unable to hide the massive grin appearing on his face.

"Boyfriend," said Alex dreamily, unable to believe it.

Alex's hand came out from under the bedsheets. George took the soft hand in his own, and the two stared into each other's eyes.


End file.
